At noon, Eleanor ced an order for a fruit basket and a bouquet at the mall across from Meridian Dynamics, then hurried toward Metropolitan General Hospital with the basket in hand.


    She made her way up to the hospital''s inpatient ward and stopped outside Mansfield''s room. After a quick knock, the door swung open to reveal a refined and elegant woman.


    "Eleanor! You''re here," Mrs. Ellington, the mayor''s wife, greeted her warmly. "Come in,e in!"


    "Good afternoon, Mrs. Ellington," Eleanor replied with a polite smile.


    "You''re so thoughtful." Mrs. Ellington graciously epted the fruit basket and bouquet from her.


    Eleanor nced toward the bed, where Mansfield sat propped up against the pillows. He looked much better than before.


    "You made it," Mansfield said, a faint smile ying at his lips, his mood clearly light.


    "I''ll leave you two to talk," Mrs. Ellington said, casting them a knowing nce before excusing herself with a smile.


    Eleanor took a seat beside the bed. "How''s your recovery going?"


    "Really well. The doctors say I''m in good shape-apparently a little injury like this


    is nothing for me," Mansfield replied with a touch of humor.


    "Don''t try to tough it out. The most important thing is to rest and heal properly," Eleanor said, her tone serious. She noticed a stack of Mansfield''s recent medical reports on the bedside table and picked them up to take a look.


    Mansfield watched her in silence, taking in her delicate profile. Though Eleanor wasn''t one for flowery words, her actions spoke volumes. In that quiet moment, he knew she genuinely cared.


    After reading through the reports, Eleanor said, "Everything looks good. Your numbers are solid-nothing to worry about."


    "Good." Mansfield paused, then asked, "So, any ns for your birthday?"


    Eleanor blinked in surprise. He actually remembered her birthday?


    "Nothing big this year. I''ll keep it simple," she replied with a smallugh.


    "I''m being discharged on your birthday," Mansfield said, his gaze steady. "Would you invite me over for a slice of cake? We can celebrate your birthday—and my release."


    Eleanor hesitated, caught off guard. "You''re getting discharged so soon?"


    "Is that all right?" Mansfield pressed, his eyes full of hope.


    It wasn''t an unreasonable request, and besides, Eleanor still owed him for that time he''d given her daughter a jar of fireflies as a gift.


    She smiled. "You cane over for cake-but no gifts. If you bring anything, I won''t ept it."


    Mansfield grinned. "Deal. Just dinner and cake. Promise."


    Just then, a female voice called from the hallway, "Excuse me, is this Mr. Mansfield''s room?"


    A nurse answered, "Yes, this is Mr. Ellington''s room."


    A knock followed. Eleanor stood to open the door and found a bright-eyed, cheerful young woman standing there, also holding a fruit basket and a bouquet. She paused, a little confused, as if she''d walked into the wrong room.


    "Looking for Mansfield? He''s inside," Eleanor told her.


    The girl''s face lit up with a dazzling smile. "Thank you!" She stepped lightly into the room, her gaze immediately finding Mansfield. "Mansfield, I came to see you!"


    Mansfield was clearly surprised. "What brings you here?"


    "I took the day off just to visit you," the girl replied, setting down her gifts. She turned to Eleanor, extending a hand with confidence. "Hi, I''m Sophia. I trained under Mansfield a while back."


    Eleanor shook her hand and smiled. "Nice to meet you, Sophia. I''m Eleanor."


    Mansfield took a moment to properly introduce them. "Eleanor''s a medical researcher,” he said, then turned to Eleanor. "Sophia''s an outstanding pilot."


    At a nce, Eleanor could tell Sophia had that unmistakable air of someone with military training. She was surprised someone so young had already made her mark as a pilot.